After Ning Rongrong finished the introductions, Ning Fengzhi nodded politely, his face bearing a gentle smile as he offered a few words of encouragement.
Jing Ling and Huang Yuan lit up with excitement at his praise. Tai Long, however, remained calm and composed.
Finally, Ning Rongrong led Ning Fengzhi to Dai Mubai. "Dad, this is our team captain and the boss of Shrek Academy—Dai Mubai. He's already a rank 43 Battle Spirit Elder, one of the strongest among us."
"Greetings, Clan Leader Ning." Dai Mubai's expression remained neutral, unaffected by Ning Fengzhi's status. He simply stepped forward and offered a polite nod.
Ning Fengzhi's eyes flashed with a hint of appreciation. A seventeen-year-old rank 43 Battle Spirit Master—although still a step below Lin Jie, he was certainly a rare talent. "Young man, I watched your battle earlier. You were impressive—your Martial Soul and Spirit Abilities are both quite outstanding. Once the tournament is over, would you be interested in visiting the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan?"
His meaning was unmistakable: an open invitation. But he was bound to be disappointed.
"I appreciate your kind offer, Uncle Ning. If the opportunity arises in the future, I'll be sure to visit," Dai Mubai replied tactfully, yet clearly refusing.
Ning Fengzhi's gaze lingered on his eyes—those distinctive evil eyes—and his expression shifted slightly as he murmured thoughtfully, "Evil-Eyed White Tiger… I see."
Ning Rongrong continued her introductions. "This is Oscar, our second eldest among the Shrek Seven Devils. He's a rank 37 Food-type Tool Spirit Master. His Martial Soul is sausage. As for Tang San and Lin Jie—you're already familiar with them, so I won't go into detail."
"And this is Ma Hongjun, rank 41 Power Attack-type Battle Spirit Elder. His Martial Soul is the Fire Phoenix."
Ning Fengzhi's eyes lit up at the mention of Ma Hongjun. A Fire Phoenix—one of the top-tier Martial Souls. This chubby young man didn't seem very old, yet had already reached rank 41. Shrek's "Monster Academy" reputation was clearly well-earned.
Ning Rongrong beamed as she gestured toward Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu. "Oh, and these two are my best sisters—this is Zhuqing, and this is Xiao Wu. Zhuqing is a rank 44 Agility Attack-type Battle Spirit Elder, and Xiao Wu is a rank 44 Power Attack-type Battle Spirit Elder. Zhuqing's actually the youngest in our academy—she's not even fourteen yet."
"Not even fourteen, and already a Spirit Elder…" Ning Fengzhi was stunned, staring at Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu in disbelief. Earlier, he'd been surprised by Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun's levels, but this… this was something else. He had never seen Spirit Masters under fourteen reach this stage. Still, he quickly composed himself—Shrek Academy had already given him so many surprises today, it was hard to be shocked any further.
"Nice to meet you, Clan Leader Ning," Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu greeted him politely.
"You're all good friends of Rongrong's—no need to be so formal," Ning Fengzhi replied, then paused slightly before continuing, "All of you are incredibly gifted. If any of you are interested in joining the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan after the tournament, you'd be most welcome."
"Clan Leader Ning, does that include me too?" Jing Ling couldn't help but ask.
"Of course," Ning Fengzhi replied with a smile. "Didn't I say earlier? Our clan never turns away true talent."
Jing Ling and Huang Yuan were overjoyed. Though they hadn't yet graduated, securing a good future now meant they had nothing to worry about down the line.
Just as the introductions finished, more people began streaming out of the Soul Arena.
Ning Fengzhi turned to Tang San with a rare serious look. "Tang San, I'd like to have a private word with you."
"Of course, Uncle Ning," Tang San replied, noting the solemnity in his expression.
What they talked about wasn't relevant to the rest of the group. After parting ways with Ning Fengzhi, Lin Jie and the others returned to the academy.
At the wooden cabins behind Shrek Academy, hidden in the rear grove, the group was focused on their training. Even Liu Erlong was there. At the moment, her gaze remained fixed on Lin Jie, lost in thought.
These cabins had originally been Liu Erlong's private retreat, but ever since the Shrek group arrived, they had become their primary training and gathering grounds. After returning to the academy, most of the others went off to rest.
Only Jiangzhu remained with Lin Jie, along with Ning Rongrong, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Oscar, Ma Hongjun, and Dai Mubai, joining him at the training cabins.
Lin Jie and Ning Rongrong had started cultivating the technique known as Heart Separation Control half a year ago, and had already made considerable progress.
Heart Separation Control was a core secret of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan—typically forbidden from being taught to outsiders. But Lin Jie's relationship with Ning Rongrong… wasn't that of an outsider.
After over half a year of cultivation, Lin Jie had developed a firm grasp of the principles. In essence, Heart Separation Control allowed a Spirit Master to use multiple abilities simultaneously, efficiently managing Spirit Power and reducing unnecessary expenditure.
In theory, any Spirit Master could train in Heart Separation Control. But for most, the benefits were minimal. For the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, however, it was invaluable. Their reputation as the greatest auxiliary-type clan on the continent owed much to this technique.
Even though Lin Jie already possessed exceptionally fine control over his Spirit Power, this method was still vital to him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken the initiative to ask Ning Rongrong to teach him.
As someone with three Martial Souls, Lin Jie's number of Spirit Abilities would only grow with time. Casting multiple abilities simultaneously would result in massive Spirit Power consumption—making efficiency critical.
At this moment, Lin Jie sat cross-legged on the grass, his mind completely at ease. His pores were open, sensing everything around him—the colors of nature, the crisp air, the fragrance of grass, the playful chirping of birds…
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan divided Heart Separation Control into five tiers of mastery:
Three Apertures Governing Heart
Four Apertures Constant Heart
Five Apertures Dispersed Heart
Six Apertures Wishful Heart
Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart
Each level represented not just increased difficulty, but also how many abilities could be used simultaneously and how many targets could be supported at once. For example, the Four Apertures Constant Heart allowed a Spirit Master to use four different abilities across four separate targets. Of course, the true benefit lay in improving overall Spirit Power control.
Perhaps Lin Jie was especially gifted. After half a year of focused cultivation, he had already reached the second stage—Four Apertures Constant Heart.
And thanks to that, his control over Spirit Power had become even more refined. His use of his Lightning Martial Soul to temper his physical body had also reached a new level.
He believed that before long, he would push his body's cellular activation to an entirely new realm—what he called the Spiritual Body.
More importantly, his successful cultivation of Heart Separation Control had greatly enhanced his physical, spiritual, and soul perception. His Mind Net ability had grown significantly stronger.
Though it wasn't yet at the level where he could read people's thoughts, he could now sense fluctuations in heartbeat, subtle shifts in expression, and micro-movements. With this sensitivity, he could predict an enemy's next move in battle—always one step ahead.
Perhaps one day, that Mind Net would evolve into true mind-reading.